#193 – Planned Parenthood in Keokik, IA

Listen to the Call:

Transcript:

CLINIC: Good afternoon. This is Planned Parenthood. I’m Chelsea. How can I help you?

CALLER: Hi. I was just on the phone with you and my friend’s mom came in and I had to hang up real quick. I’m sorry.

CLINIC: Okay. Here she is. One second.

CALLER: Thanks.

CLINIC: Okay. Hello. This is Lisa, the nurse practitioner.

CALLER: Oh. Hi.

CLINIC: Hi. What can I do for you?

CALLER: Well, I was just like — my friend told me that my parents have to be told before I can have an abortion. Is that true?

CLINIC: Yes, it is.

CALLER: Okay. Is there any way around that? Like I can’t tell them at all because they hate my boyfriend, and if they found out — like well they hate him because — well, we’re going to get married, and he loves me, but like — I don’t know. He just said he was going to take care of me and everything. So they just can’t find out. Like he’s old enough to take care of me. He’s 22. But they can’t find out at all.

CLINIC: Well, if you’re going to get a termination there’s not really much that you can do about it because they will need parent consent. They have to — in order to get a termination or an abortion you have to have parental consent.

CALLER: Well, say that I wasn’t pregnant and like do you guys do birth control there?

CLINIC: Yes, we do.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: We do birth control. Yes, we do.

CALLER: But you wouldn’t have to tell anybody?

CLINIC: Yes, I do.

CALLER: You do? About birth control?

CLINIC: If I know — no, not about the birth control, but if you come in and tell me your boyfriend is 22 years old, I have to turn him in for sexual abuse.

CALLER: What? But we’re in love. I don’t understand.

CLINIC: If you come in and you don’t tell me, you know, that your boyfriend is 22 years old, I don’t know how old your boyfriend is. You know? I mean, that’s none of my business. But if you come in and you tell me that your boyfriend is 22 years old, he’s going to get charged for statutory rape first of all.

CALLER: Like what could happen?

CLINIC: What could happen?

CALLER: Yeah. Well, would he get in trouble?

CLINIC: He could get in trouble, yeah. I mean, I don’t know. Yes, he — there is a possibility that he could get in trouble. I know — do your parents know that — your parents evidently do not know that you’re dating a 22-year-old man, right?

CALLER: Well, they just don’t like him. I mean, they know him.

CLINIC: Oh, they know that you guys are dating and having sex and everything?

CALLER: Well, no, but –

CLINIC: (laughs) Okay. Well, it sounds like you do need to get on some type of birth control definitely, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: All right?

CALLER: But you guys wouldn’t have to tell my parents about that?

CLINIC: No. We do not tell parents about birth control. No, we do not.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Now if you were pregnant, we wouldn’t even tell them that, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: All right? I mean, that’s something that you’ll have to — you would have to tell them. But if you want to get an abortion which we do not do here, and you’re under the age of 18, you have to have parental consent. Your parents have to know that you’re getting an abortion in the state of Iowa.

CALLER: Oh.

CLINIC: Now in Illinois I don’t think that they have to know, but in Iowa if you go anywhere in Iowa they have to know. They have to know about it.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Okay. Well, do you know like what I could do if I wanted to go to Illinois?

CLINIC: If you wanted to go to Illinois? You could come in and get a pregnancy test first of all. Then we could determine if you’re pregnant or not. Then we can give you a list of abortion facilities in the area.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: But like if I came in and got a pregnancy test you guys wouldn’t have to tell my parents about that?

CLINIC: No, I would not tell your parents you had a pregnancy test, no.

CALLER: Okay. So nobody would have to know at all?

CLINIC: No one would have to know at all. You’re exactly right.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Do you — would you like to call back later and make an appointment for a pregnancy test?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. Why don’t you do that? And then if you want to make an appointment for an annual exam, why don’t you go ahead and do that also? Okay? All right? An exam would be so we could get you started on some birth control if you’re not pregnant. That would probably be the best route to go.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: All right.

CALLER: Thank you.

CLINIC: Thank you. Bye bye.

(phone clicks)

***THE END***

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